Darley’s finals campaign in the Ballarat Football League ran out of steam against East Point in a preliminary final on Saturday.
Having come from fourth through to the preliminary final, the Devils were no match for East Point.
The Kangaroos did most of the damage in the first half, registering 19 scoring shots to the Devils’ four.
The Kangaroos went on with the job in the second half, eventually winning 15.18 (108)-5.6 (36).
Devils coach Heath Scotland said they didn’t have the legs to run with a side that was much better on the day.
“East Point were fantastic and showed why they finished on top of the ladder,” he said.
“I’m really proud of our boys. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“We had six players not train during the week.
“Injuries are no excuse. There was no more left in us.
“I’m proud we kept fighting. We’re disappointed, though, we haven’t made it through to another grand final.”
The wet conditions worked in East Point’s favour, with the Kangaroos dominating all game.
Scotland said the Devils didn’t have the answers.
“They played the conditions better and had more run,” he said.
“We were beaten in most facets of the game. After half-time, we knew the margin might blow out.
“We played high-risk football, but we didn’t execute.
“We weren’t worried about the margin, but they didn’t let us back into the game.”
Mark Hanson was the only multiple goalscorer for the Devils, kicking three.
Scotland said defenders Jacob Zeestraten and Darren Leonard were fantastic despite everything that was thrown at them.
He said Steven Kennedy was again good, while Luther Baker was solid and Dylan Reid battled hard.
Scotland said the match was similar to several of the Devils’ other losses, with too few contributing.
“It’s been the story of our year,” he said. “We had 40 or 41 play for the club in the seniors. We had six or seven under-18s debut.
“We had notable injuries to Dan Roy, Leigh Spiteri, Matt Inglis, Jake Edwards, Dylan Reid and Brian Graham.
“To get where we got is really good – the guys kept on delivering.”
Scotland will coach the side for a third season, having already signed on for next
year.
He said they had started the process of signing their key players.
“We’ll lick our wounds and learn from them,” he said.
Tara Murray
